Alarm device for motor-vehicles.



F. JOHNSTON. ALARM DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

A'rrucmoga Hush 9:12.23. 1916.

Patnfed Se t; 11,191?

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I ill m INV O ATTORNEYS.

B.F.JO HNSTON.' I ALARMDEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICRTIO'N FILED DH;- 28, 19! 6.

Patented Sept. 11, 291?.

B r. JOHNSTON. ALARM DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.28| I916.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

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- ATTORNEYS.

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BENJAMIN r. cronnsron, on Ocean, urine, nssrenon or one-nitrite "enemies MOWBRAY, OF OGDEN, UTEH.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 28, 1913. Serial. No. 139335.

" To oil'wkoin it concern:

{Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F.-'J0HN STON, a citizen of the United. States,

' pat Ogden, inithecounty of Weber and State of Utah, have invented new and'useful Improvements in Alarm Devices for Motor- Vehicles, of which the following is a speci fication. y i This invention relates to alarm devices for motor vehicles designed to prevent unauthorized use or theft-of the car, and its object is' to provide a device of this kind which .is eflicient and reliable in operation and s mple 1n construction.

The i'nvention'also has for its object to.

. provide an alarm which is sounded'when the steering shaft'of the car is operated, the mechanism being so' constructed and arranged that the slightest turn of the steering'shaft to guide the car causes the aiarmto be sounded.,Thus the car cannot be turned or kept in a straight course Without the alarm being sounded.

The invention. also has for its object to provide a protectinghousing' for the mech' anism which is so constructed that the alarm Will also be sounded ifan attempt is made to break open the housing. g Vith the herein stated objects in vievv' the invention consists ina novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that the same may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of a motor vehicle showing the application of the invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the alarm mechanism, a portion of the housing thereof being shown removed; Fig. 3 is an elevation of said removed portion of the housing; Fig. .4 is a horizontal section-on the line-H of Fig 2, with a portion of the housing broken away; Figs. 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 5 5 and 66, respectively of Fig. 2: F ig'. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the mechanism shown in Fig-7 Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 'TrFig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is a Section on the line 1111 of Fig. 4c, andoFig. 12 is a diagram showing the electric-circuits.

Referring specifically t0 the drawlngs', 1

residing stationary tube 1 incloses the shaft; ltdjacent to the hand Wheel, the tube is cut away to leave a portion of the shaft exp? l and permit the attachment of parts which constitute the invention. These parts are inclosed in a housing vof cyliinchrical form and composed of two separably connected sections 2 and 2, respectively, fastened together in a manner to be presently described. The housing has closed ends 2* and 2. respectively, and it is secured in the gap formed by ci'ittingaWay a portion of thetubc 1' as stated, the ends of the tube, being threaded, as shown at 3, to screw into the end Walls 2 and 2of the housing. The baredportion of the steering shaft thus passes length- Wise andcentrallythrough the housing.

In the housing hereinbefore described is .mounteid an electroa-esponsiw alarm device,

which may be a hell 4, the current source being a battery 5'. It is the object of the iii-- vention to cause the'bellto lie-sounded it" an unauthorized person att'ei'npts to run the car, and as it is impossible to run the car with the steering shaft 1 held station; this fact is taken advantage of in co... ling-the circuit of the bell. It the. mount on the steering shaft, inside the housing, a circuit closer in the form of a ring t3 of conductingmaterial having in its perlpnery, at regular intervals, reccs. in Which are mounted pieces 6 of insulating material. At diametrically opposite points;

the periphery the ring is engaged by contact brushes 7 carried by suitable resilient.

supports 7 mounted on the lower end. wall 2 of the housing. One of these brushes is connected by a conductorB to one side of the bell 4, and the other brush is wired the slightest turn of the steering shaft causes the'bell to be sounded. iCertain other controlling devices to be presently describ d are also interposed in the alarm circuit. in

' is fitted with two cylindrical blocks and order that the alarm circuit may be kept open when the car is properly in use, the following mechanism is provided:

In the top end wall 2 of the housing is an opening in which is rotatably. mounted a spindle!) having on the outside of said wall a knob 9 and inside the housing the spindle 10 re'specti vely, of insulating material. The block 10 is fixed on the spindle by a screw 11 and it'turns with thespindle. In one end of the bldcklO is'.an arcuate groove. 12 and the adjacent end of the block 10 has a projecting pin 12 seating in said groove. Thus the block 10 may be turned without. communicating this motion to the block 10 until the pin 12 reaches the end of the groove 12, whereupon the block 1O starts to turn :with

.the block 10 and in the same direction.

At the inner end of the spindle? is a retaining cap 13 for the block 1 O,sa-1 d cap being secured to the spindle by a screw bolt 13.

The :block 10'carries two paralle conduc-' tor rings 14 and 14, respectively, which are notcontinuous but have each a gap 15 filled with the material'of the block. The block a gap 30'.

. other as shown in Fig. 7. The contacts cooperating with the conductorring 14 are denoted by the reference characters 18 and 18, those of the ring 14 by the reference characters 19 and 19, those of the ring 16 by the reference characters 20 and'20 and those of the ring 16 by the reference characters 21 and 21a.

he contact 18 is connected to one side of the bell by a conductor 22. The contact'18 is connected to one side of the current source 5 by a conductor 23, and from this conductor a branch 23 is connected to the contact 20. The other side of the current source isconnected by a conductor 24 to the contact '19 and by a branch conductor 24 tothe contact 21*; A branch 25 connects the conductor 22 with the contact 20. A cohductor26 is connected to the contact 21 and leads to one ofrthc contacts 7 the other c'o'ntact 7 being connected by a conductor S'to'the bell. 4 as hereihbefore described. A branch 26 leads from the ponductor26 to the contact 19.

' It will be seen from the foregoing that the rings 14, 14*, 16 and 1,6 provide a consection between the contacts 18 and 18, 19

19, 20 and 20*, 21 and 21, except when the insulation gaps 15 engage either one of the joint between the sections." Through ed in the recesses and held presed against assures ing with a scale 27 the arrangement being 7 similar to the knob ofv a permutation lock.

There is an established relation between the index mark and the position of the blocks 10 and 10 on the spindle 9. To'set the blocks so that the alarm circuit is broken, the spindle is turned in one direction the required predetermined distance from the 'zero position to bring the gaps15 of the rings 16 and 16 opposite the contacts 20 and 21 or 20 and 21 The motion of the spindle is transmitted from the block 10 throu h the pin 12 to the block 10. The spin e is next turnedback the required predetermined distance to bring the gaps 15 of the rings 14 and 14 opposite the contacts 18 and 19-01 18 and 19". There is now'a gap in the alarm circuit, and the alarm. will not be sounded when the steering shaft 1 is operated. To place the mechanism in position -to cause the alarm to be sounded when the steering shaft is operated, it is necessa only to turn the knob 9"" to establish the connection between the contacts 18 and 18, 19 and 19, 20 and 20*,and 21.and 21, through the conductor rings 14 and 14, 16 and 16 In order that the alarm may also be sounded if an attempt is made to break the housing open, there is provided a circuit closing meohanismconsisting of the following parts:

The section 2 of the housing seats in an opening in the side of the section 2. In the edges of this opening are recesses 29 in which seatprojecting parts 30 on the section 2, so that overlapping parts are bad at these overlapping parts pass long bolts 31 the parts 30 having longitudinal holes for said bolts, and the latter entering the side wall at one end terminatinga short distance from the opposite end of the section 2 where thd bolts enter recesses 32 inthe latter. The inner ends of the bolts do not extend to the inner ends of the recesses, and they are i'n contact with plungers 33 slidably mountthe inner ends of the bolts by springs 34. In that part of the housing carrying the plungers 33, on the inside of the housing, are longitu inal slots 35 through which pass stems 36 extending from the plunger-s 33,

and carrying contacts '37. Opposite each contact 37 the housingsection 2, on the inside thereof, carries an insulated contact 37 Oneof the bolts passes downward from the top of the housing, and the other bolt passes upward from the bottom of'the housing. 7 The contacts 37 are connected by conductors 38 to the conductor 26, and the con-' .tacts 37* are connected by conductors 39 to one side of the bells.

The contacts 37 and 37 are. normally spaced, but when an attem t' is made to re-. 'move the bolts 31, the plungers 33 follow the bolts, they being advanced by the springs 34, and when the contact 37 engages the contact 37 the bell 4 is sounded, provided of course the permutation circuit closer herein-- before described has beenset.

In order to provide a tight, waterproof joint between the sections 2 and 2' of the housing, the meeting edges thereof are connected 'by a tongue and groove .jointas shown'in Fig. 4:. I claim:

l. The combination with the' steering shaft of a motor vehicle; of an electro-responsive alarm device, a pair of contacts interposed in the circuit of said device, a circuit closing member. mounted on the steering shaft to turn therewith, and engageable by the contacts, a lock-controlled switch in the aforesaid circuit, a sectional housing inclosing the alarm device and the aforementioned parts associated therewith, bolts fastening the housing sections together, slidable members seating against the inner ends of the bolts and movable with the bolts when the latter are withdrawn, contacts carried by said members, and contacts opposite said cont-acts, said last mentioned pairs of contactsbeing also interposed in the circuit of the alarm device. 1

2. The combination with the steering shaft of a motor vehicle; of an electroresponsive alarm device, a conductor ring having gaps of insulating material on its periphery'and mounted on the steering wheel to turn therewith, contacts engaging the periphery of the ring and interposed in the circuit of the alarm device, a lock-controlled switch in ,said circuit, a sectional housing inclosing the alarm device and the aforementioned parts associated therewith, bolts fastening the housing sections together, slidable members seating against the inner ends of the bolts and movable with the bolts when the latter. are withdrawn, contacts carried by said members, and contacts opposite said contacts, said last-mentioned pairs of contacts being also interposed in the circuit of the alarm device. I

3. The combination with the steering shaft of a'lnotor vehicle; of an 'electro-responsive alarm device, a conductor ring having a pcriphery of closely spaced contact points and mounted on the steering wheel to turn therewith, contactsengaging the periphery of the ring and interposed in the circuit of the valarm device, a lock-controlled switchin said sponsive .alarm device, and means for controlling the same; of a sectional housing inclosingthe alarm device and the aforementioned parts associated therewith, bolts fastening the housing sections together, slidable members seating against the inner ends "of the bolts and movable with the bolts when the latter are withdrawn, contacts carried by said members, and contacts opposite said contacts, said last-mentioned pairs of contacts being also interposed in the circuit of the alarm device.

V In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BENJAMIN F. JOHNSTON. 

